UHS’ annual Club Kickoff returned this year after being cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ASB organized this fundraising event on October 22nd on the basketball courts, in which clubs were able to freely fundraise and solicit donations for their causes.  Forty-four clubs ended up selling a variety of products ranging from stickers to food and drinks. 

“I was nervous that Club Kickoff wasn’t going to perform that well, for understandable reasons,” senior and ASB Club Commissioner Quinlan Tobin said. “We hadn’t had an event like this in two years, and most underclassmen had no idea what it was like.”

At UHS, clubs have always been a fundamental aspect of school culture. Club Kickoff was a valuable experience for both the clubs that participated and also the students that came to look, as it provided an outlet for club promotion while also providing students with the opportunity to kindle new interests through exploring the various club booths.

“I was very shocked by the level of participation and the overall enthusiasm that many people had coming into the Club Kick-off,” senior and president of Academic Decathlon Sophia Wang said. “Events like Club Kick-off are crucial for club funding and allowing clubs to donate to major causes, so I was grateful that so many people came to support because it means the world for clubs.”

Club Kickoff was one important step in the resurgence of club interest at UHS, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was Girls Who Code’s first time running a booth at Club Kickoff, and it was honestly a great experience to be part of,” senior and president of Girls Who Code Emily Hsi said. “The preparation is definitely underplayed in terms of organizing, catering, picking up the supplies, and publicizing, but in the end, it felt so rewarding to be able to work with club members to sell boba and lunch while also representing the club.”

By the end of the extended lunch period, approximately 7,000 tickets were sold and only a few hundred were left despite the fact that, for the first time ever, clubs were not only competing with each other but also the free lunches from the cafeteria. 

“It was great seeing all of the clubs come together to fundraise after a long year of not being able to do in-person events,” senior and President of Key Club, Mimi Tran, said. We had a great turnout and saw that every club sold out before the club fest was over.”